Irked by an owner who seems unwilling to care for his property, Pomona planning commissioners said this week a proposed 7-Eleven can’t sell beer and wine on its premises.

Commissioners on Wednesday took issue with the owner of 888 Mission Blvd., the lot of the former Mission Family Restaurant, for failing to clean up the property since clinching approval for a block-long commercial shopping center two weeks ago. The comments Wednesday echoed sentiments expressed two weeks ago: The place is a mess and it needs to be cleaned up.

But the six-member governing body also struck down the alcohol license permit request because 7-Eleven had not selected a franchisee yet.

“This developer has not established a good track record with this community or with this property. If this was an established 7-Eleven, and I could make the developer tow the line, I would feel better about it,” Commissioner Carolyn Hemming said. “Since we don’t know the franchisee, then I can only look to the developer and hope he gets a good franchisee.

“At this point, I have no faith in this developer to do this.”

Sensing the frustration, representatives for 7-Eleven suggested the commission hold off on a vote until a franchisee was selected.

Commissioners shot down that request, too. They believed they had sent a stern message to Golcheh Developments and Investments at the Sept. 26 meeting about the broken windows, overgrown weeds and dilapidated building. No one from Golchech attended the meeting Wednesday.

Addressing representatives from the nationwide convenience store chain, Commissioner Ish Arias said: “There should have been a conversation between you and property owners that night. I’m not happy at all with this. I don’t see how you can come up here and ask for something like this considering the way the property looks like.”

Arias motioned the project be denied, and the commission voted 6-0 in agreement. Member Tomas Ursua was not present.

7-Eleven had submitted a request for a conditional-use permit known as a Type 20 license, which allows the business to sell packaged beer and wine. The 3,500-square-foot minimart will occupy the northwest corner of the former restaurant building. The other portion of the building will be used as a restaurant, Ata Khan, senior planner for Pomona, said.

The convenience store will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and would not only sell alcohol but food and snacks. Beer and wine sales, per the state’s standards, would have occurred between 6 a.m. and 2 a.m. The alcohol would have occupied five cooler doors, totaling 135 square feet, and be allowed to fill an additional 27-square-foot beer and wine display, he said.

Khan told commissioners 7-Eleven had agreed to special conditions for the off-sale license because of the proximity to Lopez Elementary School, such as locking the beer and wine coolers an hour before and after school. Single cans sales would not have been allowed. On top of that, high-definition surveillance cameras and training were required.

Ben Steckler, entitlement manager for Pasadena-based Fiedler Group, is handling the design and planning process of the Pomona location for 7-Eleven. Steckler and another representative told commissioners it was not the company’s practice to select a franchisee until the permit was obtained.

Hemming refuted that claim, adding the commission had approved other 7-Eleven operators who requested their Type 20 license after opening.

Commissioner Luis Juarez surmised that “corporate is waiting to get a beer and wine license approval so they can present that to their franchisee as a more palatable business option for them.”

After the meeting, Steckler said he would have to talk to the corporation to see if 7-Eleven officials want to appeal the matter to the City Council.

Liset Márquez covers the cities of Pomona, Claremont, La Verne and San Dimas for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. A beat reporter for the Bulletin since 2006, she previously wrote for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She keeps a watchful eye on city councils and the Dodgers.